Incurably Mad
by HatpinFlourish
Summary: Alice has come and gone from Underland first as a child, now as a Champion. She has endeared herself to residents of the realm and has cured the wounds caused by the Red Queen. Can her eventual  and promised  return heal the wound she left on the Hatter?
1. Prologue

Summary: Alice has come and gone from Underland as a child and now as a Champion. She touched many hearts in the realm, but her actions may have permanently broken the fragile sanity of the Hatter. A story that addresses Alice's eventual (and promised) and promised return, and the Hatter's reactions as he fights to regain some semblance of normalacy in his feelings for her.

Rating: Right now, it's pretty safe with a T. Eventually, this will probably move closer to a M...but it'll be a while.

Pairings: Alice and The Mad Hatter

Disclaimer: I own nothing that has to do with Alice in Wonderland (2010). It is property of the various owners, Mr. Carroll and Mr. Burton to name a few. I just want to play in the world of Wonder/Underland for a bit with the lovelies that reside there. This is purely a creative/entertainment endevour and not for profit. No infringement is intented!

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**Author's Note**: First attempt at an Alice in Wonderland piece, so be gentle. This piece is an attempt at getting a plot bunny out of my head. Please, bear with me and feedback is always greatly appreciated. This is in response to the question, What if Alice's return to Underland didn't save the Hatter's sanity? Would she still love him? Would he still love her? Let me know what Everyone thinks. Thanks!

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**Prologue: The Hatter's Hell**

It was dreadfully unfortunate, being tied so completely to the curious Girl who appeared from the rabbit hole all those many years ago. The entire realm was tied to Her, to be sure, but none more so than the positively unique Mad Hatter. From her first tumble through the rabbit hole, when she was simply a slip of a child, Alice had claimed the heart of the Hatter. To be sure, it was not a passionate love at first; he was her playfellow and fellow conspirator against the tyranny of the Queen of Hearts, a child trapped in the form of an adult.

When she left the first time, to grow into becoming the White Queen's Champion, the Hatter's life slowed and turned into the never-ending Tea Party after a disastrous disagreement with Time. The Hatter, and his fellow lunatics, were swept into a daily chaotic cycle of tea-time and plotting the downfall of the _Bloody Red Queen_. But by night, when the whole of Underland slept, the Hatter locked himself into the Windmill House and destroyed tea services, hats, and the tools of his trade in the nonsensical ranting that bordered on a desperate plea for Alice's return. Thackery and Mally could do nothing to dissuade his nightly fits of madness except remove everything from his ramshackle workshop that would cause him permanent damage and sent a silent request to the Fates to save their Hatter from a further slip into delirium.

For years, if one could measure Underland time in such an archaic unit as a year, this was the Hatter's routine—tea, rebellion, and destruction. The Hare and the Dormouse watched from the mismatched tea tables each day as the Hatter's eyes grew dim with hopelessness, and then watched as his eyes glowed a terrible shade of yellow-orange by night as his rage overtook all other emotions. The Hatter slipped further and further into his rage, slowly becoming utterly unable to do anything but seethe against the confines and rules of Underland; he no longer spoke with a gentle, confused lisp, but instead spoke with a rough brogue that made him nearly impossible to understand to all but his very closest friends. They were losing hope, Thackery and Mally and even Chessur, when the Fates saw fit to answer their desperate requests; Mctwisp had led Alice home to Underland to become the Champion who would slay the Jabberwocky.

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Though it took days of exposure to the oddities of Underland for Alice to get her needed muchness back, the Hatter 's disposition changed back instantly into the gently lisping madman, the brogue only appearing at times of rage and rebellion. All-consuming was the Hatter's desire to save Alice and to support the White Queen's rebellion. He watched as Alice grew into her muchness and became, as the maddening Caterpillar had stated, "Alice, at last." And when it was time for her to step out as the Champion, he watched with pride and trepidation; and when she took down the frumious Jabberwocky he heard himself breath a sigh of relief—it was over and the White Queen would cleanse the realm of the Red Queen's tainted rule.

The Hatter had never been more delighted than as he watched the head of the Jabberwocky clatter down the stairs; he had never been more desperate for her to stay than when Alice was handed the vial of Jabberwocky blood. When she smiled at him and whispered, "Back before you know it..." the Hatter felt is heart break and his mind slip into madness as he watched her disappear.

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"She'll nae come back ta Underland. Broke 'er promise, didnae care fer us. Nae care fer a ravin' 'Atter." Each word was punctuated by his pacing steps, the floorboards of his Hat-Making shop creaking under the constant strain; the Hatter stopped sleeping soundly when Alice left Underland again and it drove him madder than the mercury in the hat-making process. Even Thackery and Mally began to avoid being alone with the Hatter; his madness gave way to his Outlandish temper and he lashed out with hatpins and throwing knives, aiming for anyone who dared speak to him about Alice and her supposed return.

"Alice's gone 'way ta Uplands, ta 'er London'n civility." A loud crash reverberated as a porcelain teapot shatters against the scarred wooden door, and Mally cautiously raised her head out of her hidey-hole.

"Hatter! Please...try to calm down! The great lump of a Champion will return when she finishes her Upland tasks...She promised after all..." The dormouse was prepared to duck down back into the hole if the Hatter lobbed something her way, and yet he did not take the opportunity. Instead he just stared, mouth agape at the very notion that Alice would bother returning to this backwards place of oddments, that she would return to him.

"Stop livin' 'n ye 'ead, Mally. Lass took 'er chance 'n ran. Nae lookin' back ta wretch'd 'Atter. Aye, she promised, 'n I were fool 'nough to believe words spoke outta kindness, than take 'er meaning and understand she didnae mean te return." His eyes grew dangerous and his words became rushed, Outlandish seeping into his words and muddling meaning for Mally to understand. He turned his back to her and started the litany of curses against himself for his own weaknesses and desires.

The dormouse knew it was time to tell the White Queen of the Hatter's behavior; perhaps she would be able to see past the murky waters of madness and reach the Hatter before he lost the small amount of sanity he had left to grasp. Determined, she began the journey to the White Queen; the Hatter may not love her as she adored him, but she wouldn't stand by and allow a fixable mistake to tear apart the fragile Hatter any more than it already had. And, she mused to herself as she ran through the grove of TumTum trees, if the Queen could do nothing to bring back her wandering Champion, then Mally would.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary: **Alice has come and gone from Underland as a child and now as a Champion. She touched many hearts in the realm, but her actions may have permanently broken the fragile sanity of the Hatter. A story that addresses Alice's eventual (and promised) and promised return, and the Hatter's reactions as he fights to regain some semblance of normalcy in his feelings for her.

**Rating:** Right now, it's pretty safe with a T. Eventually, this will probably move closer to a M...but it'll be a while.

**Pairings: **Alice and The Mad Hatter

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing that has to do with Alice in Wonderland (2010). It is property of the various

owners, Mr. Carroll and Mr. Burton to name a few. I just want to play in the world of

Wonder/Underland for a bit with the lovelies that reside there. This is purely a creative/entertainment endeavor and not for profit. No infringement is intended!

**Chapter the First: The Finding of the Champion**

The White Queen had seen Mally immediately, offering a sympathetic ear as the dormouse told her of the tales of the Hatter's destructive tendencies and fitful nights. When she finished her story, Mally's eyes trailed up to meet the Queen's, hope battling against fear. She waited, hoping that the Queen would pat her head comfortingly and tell her that all would be well.

That reassurance never came.

The Queen looked just as sad, and fearful, as the dormouse—she had no solution to give. She had made the agreement that Alice would be free to return to Underland when she had completed her Upland tasks. Because of that promise, the White Queen could offer no way to reach Alice and beg her to return to the Hatter. She offered her apologies to Mally and promised that she would do anything possible to protect the Hatter, even from himself. The dormouse nodded her thanks and told the Queen of her plan to go and seek Alice from Uplands—though hesitant, the Queen had little choice but to agree with Mally's plan and she made arrangements to have the Hatter, and the Hare, moved into the palace for safekeeping.

Satisfied that the Hatter would be kept safe, Mally set off to see Alice in the Uplands. _Someone had to fix the Hatter, and if the Queen couldn't retrieve Alice, then Mally would._

For days, Mallymkin traveled the wayward roads of Underland, looking for a way into the Uplands. The Queen had no mystical vial of blood to send her upwards, and the rabbit hole that Alice initially fell down was, as far as she knew, inaccessible from Underland. She hoped to be able to find Absalom; the Butterfly was a known traveler between the Realms and if anyone could help Mally navigate Upland, it would be him.

She sent out pleas with each gust of wind, each wayward petal, for Absalom to come and collect her—to show her the way to Uplands.  
After a week, again if one can measure Underlandian time in such odd measures, her call was answered, though not with the butterfly. She opened her eyes one morning to find a disheveled-looking Alice sitting cross-legged in a nearby flowerbed. The dormouse swore and started backwards, drawing her small sword and standing defensively. "What are ye doin', ye great lump? Sneakin' up on sleepin' folk!"

Alice's eyes widened, seemingly caught surprised by her surroundings, and she stood, tripping over the flowers. "M-Mally! Am I really back? Returned to Underland?" Her voice, usually so sweet and sure, was hoarse from disuse.

Mally looked at the newly-returned champion with a closer eye—Alice looked exhausted. She had dark smudges under her eyes and she looked, if possible, thinner. Her hair, normally golden and tangled, was dingy and in some spots matted. Her eyes held a quality that Mally recognized all too well—in Alice's time away from Underland and the antics and lunacy of the Underlandian inhabitants, she had fallen into some kind of madness. She needed rescuing as much as the Hatter did, and Mally only hoped that the two of them could find a way to pull one another back over the brink...

It took double the amount of time to lead Alice _back_ into Underland proper; she was so easily distracted and extremely skittish. As they traveled, Mally tried to impress on the fragile girl the state the Hatter was in. It was useless, Alice would understand for a moment and then she would dissolve into a puddle of guilt and anxiety. Each time, it was the same bout of mumbling; it got so bad that for a brief moment, Mally took her to be a true inhabitant of Underland—she spoke with the same Outlandish brogue as the Hatter when she fell into her fits.

Always, it was that _She _had caused the Hatter's pain, it was all her fault that he had fallen to pieces. She had broken the Hatter and she had no idea how to fix him, how to put the pieces back together. When the fits would take her, accompanied by gasping breath and shaking body, she would cry and whimper out her failures—she had _failed_ the Hatter and it was _her_ fault that he was so lost...

It took all of Mally's strength to get the champion back to the security of the White Queen's court. It took all of her patience and stealth to keep the Hatter from seeing Alice directly. The Queen had first priority to see to Alice; perhaps she would have some kind of remedy that would alleviate the madness that had settled over Alice in her time away.

The Queen, upon seeing Alice initially, looked at Mally with her sad eyes and shook her head. Her voice was soft, she didn't want to upset Alice or any of the court's inhabitants with her words. "Mally, my dear, I do not know if I can remedy this. Her madness, much like that of the Hatter's, comes from sources outside of my control. The time apart has done the both a great disservice," she paused, and watches as Alice dissolved into another fit of panic and worry, "Perhaps we can hope that being reunited with one another will help both our Hatter and our champion regain some semblance of their sanity..."


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary: **Alice has come and gone from Underland as a child and now as a Champion. She touched many hearts in the realm, but her actions may have permanently broken the fragile sanity of the Hatter. A story that addresses Alice's eventual (and promised) and promised return, and the Hatter's reactions as he fights to regain some semblance of normalcy in his feelings for her.

**Rating:** Right now, it's pretty safe with a T. Eventually, this will probably move closer to a M...but it'll be a while.

**Pairings: **Alice and The Mad Hatter

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing that has to do with Alice in Wonderland (2010). It is property of the various

owners, Mr. Carroll and Mr. Burton to name a few. I just want to play in the world of

Wonder/Underland for a bit with the lovelies that reside there. This is purely a creative/entertainment endeavor and not for profit. No infringement is intended!

**Chapter the Second: Madness begets Madness**

The Queen had a suite set up for Alice and assigned some of her most prized hand-maidens to wait on her champion; the Queen felt responsible for the state of Alice and the Hatter and she wanted to help the pair. Alice's suite, with lush bedding, soft carpets, and countless closets of clothing, was nestled in-between the Queen's own rooms and the rooms she had given the Hatter for his stay. She wanted them close in case they needed her, and she wanted them each to have the opportunity to see one another while still having a sanctuary to retreat back to if things because a bit too _tense_ between the two.

She had Mally fetch the Hatter from his rooms—he'd thrown several hats at her the last time she stopped into his rooms, and seeing Mally might do him some good. She steered Alice into her suites and straight to one of the large, walk-in closets on the far wall. Within a few minutes, Alice was dressed in court finery and her hair was tied up in an ornate knot—she still looked tired, frazzled, but beautiful. Her eyes still held a sense of muddled madness, but at the mention of the Hatter, her eyes brightened and she looked to the doorway, hopeful to see him again.

With a quiet smile, the Queen led Alice out into a small sitting room, where a tea tray was set out for two. She gave Alice a little nudge and had her sit down and wait for the Hatter to appear. After a few minutes of waiting, with Alice's foot bobbing impatiently, she heard the Hatter coming long before she saw him. There was swearing and sputtering, his Outlandish nature coming through in his loud brogue, "Mally, ye damned fool. She'll nae be here. Falsehoods. Lies. Lass ran, an' I didnae blame 'er. Left 'er 'Atter. Deserved it..."

Had Alice not been given specific instructions by the Queen to keep her seat and not rise until the Hatter was in her presence, she would have gone bolting from her chair to gather him up and beg for forgiveness. Instead, she gathered her wits and sat calmly, waiting for him to come around the corner. She smiled in spite of herself when she heard Mally insist, for the fifth time, that _yes, Alice was here waiting for him, and no she wasn't leaving him again._ Despite all of the dormouse's faults and rage, she knew how to calm the Hatter's moods...

It took a few more minutes for the dormouse to lead the Hatter around the corner, and by the time he appeared, Mally had calmed him enough that his brogue had slipped back into a soft lisp. He was, once again, the gentle madman, looking forward to seeing a long-ago friend. His top hat was gripped tight in his stained fingertips and he tried desperately to put himself have to rights before speaking to Alice.

She stood, smoothing her dress from where it had been rumpled as she offered the Hatter a small smile. "Hullo, Hatter...I've missed you..."

The Hatter blinked, his eyes a warm, welcoming color. "A-alice? You've come back? For good...?" His voice cracked, sounding almost childish in nature as he took a step closer to Alice. "You'll not leave me-_us_-again...?"

She fidgeted again, her hands gripping tight to the edge of her skirt. She shook her head, still looking a bit punch-drunk, "Not intending on leaving...didn't mean to leave the first time...not for so long. I had things, responsibilities to take care of. Things I _thought_ I needed to take care of. I'm sorry, Hatter..." She started speaking, mumbling quicker and quicker as she got more and more tense. Her words were tumbling out rapidly, becoming less and less clear.

The Hatter, with his eyes catching the subtle movements of the blonde woman standing before him, tried to offer a smile, a reassurance. He tried to keep himself calm, barely noticing when Mallymkin slipped from the room completely to give the two a bit of space. "Lass, ye need not apologize. Yer back, safe an' sound..." he reached out a hand, gently ruffling her hair as he fell into a softer version of his brogue, lisping and mad as anything. He wanted to comfort her, but his words only brought tears. He was confused and anxious—he was at a loss for if the words were helping his friend, _his_ Alice, or if they were hurting her. His madness, frustrations, and anger fueled his confusion—he wanted to gather her up and embrace her, but he didn't know how she'd react, didn't know if his approach would be welcome.

He settled for pulling her down onto the seat in front of the tea tray, and with a smile that barely reached his eyes, he lisped out a soft, "We're almost late for tea, my dear. We should start there. Mustn't be late for tea..."

Because he couldn't bring himself to decide if he should be angry or overjoyed at Alice's return, the Hatter decided that he would need tea and good company while he let his mind, and Alice's too, catch up with her return in Underland.


End file.
